4 TEND0NG. Chap. XVIII. 



On the route I was met by the Lama of Silokfoke 

 Goompa. Though a resident on the Lassoo Kajee's 

 estates, he politely brought me a present, at the same 

 time apologising for not waiting till I had encamped, 

 owing to his excessive fat, which prevented his climbing. 

 I accepted his excuses, though well aware that his real 

 reason was that he wished to pay his respects, and show 

 his good feeling, in private. Besides his ordinary canonicals, 

 he carried a tall crozier-headed staff, and had a curious 

 horn slung round his neck, full of amulets ; it was short, 

 of a transparent red colour, and beautifully carved, and 

 was that of the small cow of Lhassa, which resembles the 

 English species, and is not a yak (it is called " Tundro "). 



Namtchi was once a place of considerable importance ; 

 and still possesses a mendong, with six rows of inscribed 

 slabs ; a temple, and a Lama attached thereto : the latter 

 waited on me soon after I had encamped, but he brought no 

 present, and I was not long kept in suspense as to his 

 motives. These people are poor dissemblers ; if they 

 intend to obstruct, they do it clumsily and hesitatingly : in 

 this instance the Lama first made up to my people, and, 

 being coolly received, kept gradually edging up to my 

 tent- door, where, after an awkward salute, he delivered 

 himself with a very bad grace of his mission, which wa& 

 from the Lassoo Kajee to stop my progress. I told him 

 I knew nothing of the Lassoo Kajee or his orders, and 

 should proceed on the following morning : he then urged 

 the bad state of the roads, and advised me to wait two 

 days till he should receive orders from the Rajah ; upon 

 which I dismissed him. 



Soon afterwards, as I sat at my tent-door, looking along 

 the narrow bushy ridge that winds up the mountain, I 

 saw twenty or thirty men rapidly descending the rocky 



